ON MAYORAL MUTTERINGS

The mulling of a mayoralty challenge by tobacconist tycoon Travers ‘Candyman’ Beynon is an interesting proposition for the Gold Coast, depending on your point of view.

On one hand, there are those who say any run by the Helensvale playboy would be nothing more than a stunt and potentially set the city’s reputation back decades as a place with lots of chutzpah but perhaps not much substance.

The city has more than demonstrated it has plenty of the latter in recent times, with its evolving cafe culture, arts and cultural growth and Health and Knowledge precinct development.

Pulling off the hosting of the Commonwealth Games, while it might not have been a windfall for city businesses, was no mean feat and put the place on the map as an events hub with the infrastructure and smarts to pull just about anything off.

On the other hand, it isn’t an entirely laughable proposition when you consider-recent political history — Donald Trump wasn’t taken seriously at all in the early days of his tilt. Look where that ended up.

With Mr Beynon, it has already come out in court his Candyman persona is largely a branding exercise that enables the marketing of his franchises which peddle cigarettes among other things.

It is hard to know where the smoke and mirrors start and stop with him and his supposed lifestyle. His atypical domestic arrangements aside, he also seems to have raised two impressive well-adjusted teenagers (he’s made them both get jobs at McDonald’s despite not needing the money to give them a work ethic and life experience).

Mayor Tom Tate’s reaction to the possibility was short and “sweet”. In fact the latter word was his sole reaction.

Understandable. He doesn’t want someone larger than life coming in and hogging the limelight as Mr Beynon undoubtedly would. A Beynon challenge wouldn’t be wanting for financial backing or marketing heft. Watch this space.